In conversation with Barry Gray

From Mid-Ulster to the Premiership: The Untold Story


The next guest on On The Spot Football Podcast is one of Northern Irish football's most fascinating figures.


⚽ The Journey

• Started coaching at 16 in a community centre
• Took Warrenpoint Town from Mid-Ulster League to the Premiership
• Kept a small regional club at the top level for 7 out of 10 years
• Managed Cliftonville and Newry City

💼 The Businessman

• Successful entrepreneur who balanced boardroom and dugout
• One of the few managers who understood both sides of the coin

💪 The Survivor

• Fought throat and neck cancer while managing
• Made the toughest decision: choosing life over football

🔥 "Players were on £50 a week at Cliftonville competing in Europe"


😤 "I had no training facilities, no warm-up gear, and no manager's office at Newry"


⚖️ "The relegation injustice at Warrenpoint - we took it to court"


👥 "We treat players like players. We should treat them like people"


🎯 "The problem with Irish League football? We've missed the people part of it"






This isn't just a football story. It's about survival, ambition, making impossible decisions, and what it really takes to succeed with nothing.


Now live on all podcast platforms


Hosted by Johnny McMurray